Scenic Spot and Great for Gathering Information

If you're out this way, the Arataki Visitors Centre is well worth a stop.  It's a great place to get up-to-date information on all the walks in the area.  Especially handy if you're going for a walk with kids and want to check on what the tracks are like at any given time (eg if they're muddy etc).  We had trouble actually tearing our kids away from here to go on a bush walk.  There's a nice little kids area with toys etc.  The deck area around the building is lovely with beautiful views.  The public toilets were clean and handy, given that we weren't going to be near any for a while.  On the sunny day we were there, they even had an ice cream and coffee cart in the car park.  They were doing a roaring trade.